The BBC world Service has been censored in China with the corporation calling for answers from the state as it suppresses reports of protests in Hong Kong.
The blackout occurred after the BBC World Service released footage of Hong Kong police brutalising a protestor of the #Occupy HongKong movement, which has seen thousands of citizens from the city demand more independence from China.
The BBC is now banned along with Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and most recently Instagram – which was blocked last month after it became a rallying point for participants of the so-called ‘Umbrella Revolution’.
Peter Horrocks, director of global news at the BBC, said: “The BBC strongly condemns any attempts to restrict free access to news and information and we are protesting to the Chinese authorities. This appears to be deliberate censorship.
“The BBC provides impartial, trusted news to millions of people around the world, and attempts to censor our news services show just how important it is to get our accurate information to them.”
The English language site was previously censored during a period coinciding with the activist Chen Guangcheng’s escape from house arrest in 2012.
Russian authorities have also clashed with the broadcaster previously during the height of the Ukraine and Russia conflict in August, threatening to block the BBC’s regional news site after it ignored a request to remove an interview with artist and activist Artem Loskutov.
